You can’t take it with you -- unless you bring a cooler!

No trip to the Alabama Gulf Coast is complete without a stop at a local market for supplies to 'tide' us over until the next trip to Orange Beach and Gulf Shores. We make sure to have a cooler (or two, depending on how many friends and family members send requests) completely empty and clean. We get some small shrimp steamed to use in salads, but the majority is our family favorite, medium size. I know folks who swear by the bigger shrimp, but I like mediums. We place our order, leave the cooler(s) and get in a few more minutes of shopping or sightseeing while it's prepared. The staff asks how far we have to go and prepared the travel accommodations to suit that. The coolers are stashed in the car (NOT the trunk -- unless it's very, very cool weather), and away we go. When we get home, I use quart freezer bags to store the shrimp. I label each one with the date, then I seal the bag, making sure to get out all the air, and lay it flat on a cookie sheet. Once all the shrimp are bagged, I pop the sheet in the freezer. When the bags are frozen in this manner, they are easier to stack in the freezer. For extra protection, I put the frozen quart bags inside gallon or 2-gallon freezer bags. (I also stash one or two so that just when everyone thinks we've run out, I can be a superhero -- Shrimper Mom to the rescue!)